Arany Kaviár, Budapest

Until the fall of the Communist regime, this restaurant was called Red Caviar (Voros Kaviar). It has now gone more upmarket and re-named itself Gold Caviar (Arany Kaviar). The head chef is a Russian-Hungarian named Sandor (Sasha) Nyiri. The decor recalls the opulence of Tsarist times with paintings of onion-domed churches in winter landscapes, while the stained glass windows depict an underwater world of crabs and fish. The wooden booths seat four. Other Russian dishes such as pelmenyi (dumplings), borsch (beetroot soup) and beef Stroganoff are also available as are shots of ice cold vodka.